With the trend toward home gardening and the more efficient growth of vegetables, there has been an increasing interest in hydroponic systems wherein a plant is supported in an inert media and fed a nutrient solution whereby the growth cycle of the plant is controlled to assure the best possible plant and vegetable in appearance and taste while reducing the chance of disease and failure of the plant.
Heretofore, hydroponic systems have been proposed such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,451,162 and 2,278,991, which disclose apparatus for home use wherein a nutrient solution is pumped from a reservoir to an inert media according to a timing sequence. However, such systems are primarily suitable for indoor use only and require electricity and attendant electrical wiring, and the use of artificial lighting and a pump.
It is an important object of the present invention to provide hydroponic apparatus for growing plants primarily outdoors but which may be used indoors as well.
Yet another important object of the present invention is to provide hydroponic apparatus which is simple and inexpensive which eliminates much of the hard work of home gardening such as weeding, digging, watering and the like, particularly for large plants such as tomatoes.
Yet another important object of the present invention is the provision of hydroponic apparatus which does not require the use of electricity and may be safely used outdoors.
Another important object of the present invention is the provision of hydroponic apparatus for growing plants in an inert media by feeding the plant a nutrient solution in an automatic manner wherein the apparatus may be utilized outdoors and provides for drainage of excessive rainwater and flushing of salts from a bedding tray without diluting the nutrient solution or upsetting the feeding routine of the plant.